A Service biologist checks on the fish during transport. - USFWS photo

A nine-inch coaster brook trout ready for stocking. - USFWS photo

After 15 months of growout at the Genoa National Fish Hatchery, 12,000 9.5 inch coaster brook trout were loaded onto one of the largest distribution trucks the Great Lakes Region has available and placed in their new home, the cool waters of the south shore of Lake Superior. 

The Grand Portage Tribe, in cooperation with the Ashland Fishery Resources Office, the Iron River National Fish Hatchery and the Genoa National Fish Hatchery are participating in a 10 year restoration program to bring back coasters to tribal waters.  Coasters have been gone from reservation waters since the 1950's, due mainly to inland stream habitat destruction.  Coasters require stream habitats for spawning and nursery areas for the newly hatched fry.  After a period of time, they migrate to the lake to grow and mature, hopefully to return to spawn in the inland streams.   

A newly drafted interagency management plan calls for restoration stockings to occur yearly for a decade, accompanied with fishery assessments to measure stocking survival.  This cooperative effort with the tribe and the Service is already beginning to reap benefits. Coasters are being located in local waters and a small fishery has been established.  It is hoped that through these efforts, and through the re-establishment of stream habitats that coasters require for spawning and nursery areas, coasters will once again frequent the south shores.  Many thanks to the Dale Bast, Kurt Schilling, and Angie Baren of Iron River for making their large distribution truck available and hauling coasters during the peak lake trout distribution season.